performance standard 6: biodiversity … standard 6: biodiversity conservation and living natural...
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Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Living Natural Resources
October 2015
Raymi C. Beltran, Senior Environmental Specialist Environment, Social and Governance Department, International Finance Corporation / WBG
Fundamentals of Performance Standard 6
Key deliverables for PS6 compliance
Conducting a Critical Habitat Assessment
COURSE STRUCTURE
Fundamentals of Performance Standard 6
IFC PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
PS1: Assessment & management of
environmental & social risk & impacts
PS2: Labor & working conditions
PS3: Resource efficiency & pollution
prevention
PS4: Community health, safety & security
PS5: Land acquisition & involuntary
resettlement
PS7: Indigenous Peoples PS8: Cultural Heritage
PS6: Biodiversity conservation &
sustainable management of living natural resources
OBJECTIVES OF PS6
To protect and conserve
biodiversity
To maintain the benefits of
ecosystem services
To promote the sustainable
management of living natural resources
HabitatsProtected Areas
Internationally Recognized Areas Invasive Alien Species
Ecosystem Services
International standards Third-party certification
Supply chains
Key issuesObjective
WHY BIODIVERSITY? Biodiversity is undergoing rapid loss & degradation 12 to 55% of species in assessed groups threatened with extinction Monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 31% since 1970
Growing expectation for businesses to be a responsible member of the community: locally, nationally and globally
Biodiversity-related risk can affect business operations Access to permits and license to operate Impact on key environmental inputs (e.g. water, soil) Delays, liabilities and lost revenues Legal penalties for violation Relationships with stakeholders, regulators, consumers or investors
• Physical controls• Operational controls• Abatement controls
• Site selection (landscape)• Project Design (site level)• Timing
MITIGATION HIERARCHY
Avoid
Minimize
Restore
Offset
Low riskLow cost
Fixed costsLow relianceNo time lags
High riskHigh cost
Uncertain costsHigh reliance
Time lags possible
MITIGATION HIERARCHY
Baselinebiodiversity
status
Impact
Residual Impact
Avoid
Minimize
Restore
Residual Impact
Avoid
Minimize
Restore
Offset
Additional Actions
+
-
As a matter of priority, the client should seek to avoid impacts on biodiversity
and ecosystem services.
Net gain
No net loss
HABITATS
MODIFIEDPS6: para 13
NATURALPS6: para 14
CRITICALPS6: para 16
A terrestrial, freshwater or marine geographical unit or airway that supports assemblages of living organisms and interactions with
non-living environment
NATURAL & MODIFIED HABITAT
• Largely non-native species• Primary ecological function modified• Species composition modified• Result of human activity• Excludes areas cleared in anticipation of project• Sometimes defined at national level
• Viable assemblages of native species• Primary ecological function• Species composition• Little modification by humans• Human management may be required• Sometimes defined at national level
A single project area may contain a mosaic of natural and modified habitat.
Experts with regional/local experience can help with setting defensible thresholds.
CRITICAL HABITATAreas supporting high biodiversity value, including:
Critically Endangered
&/or Endangered
species
Endemic &/or
Restricted Range
species
Globally significant
concentrations of migratory or congregatory
species
Highly threatened
&/or unique
ecosystems
Key evolutionary processes
See Guidance Note 6: GN71-97
CRITICAL HABITATQuantified thresholds for some criteria (GN6: GN71-97)
HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
• No viable alternatives in modified habitat• Views of stakeholders established about impacts• Mitigation hierarchy • No net loss
• PS6 applies if significant biodiversity values found• Minimize impacts • Mitigate as appropriate
• No viable alternatives in non-critical habitat• No measurable adverse impacts on CH values or
supporting processes• No net reduction in CR or EN species population over
reasonable time period• Long-term monitoring and evaluation program• Mitigation hierarchy • Net gain for CH values• If biodiversity offsets used, provide technical rationale
PROTECTED AREASA clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated
and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature
6 IUCN Management Categories
• Demonstrate legal permission• Consistency with management plans• Consult managers & other stakeholders• Additional programs to promote conservation
aims & effective management
IUCN Category Ia: Strict Nature Reserve
IUCN Category Ib: Wilderness Area
IUCN Category II: National Park
“Treated” as Critical Habitat
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AREASRecognized importance but not always legally protected
Key Biodiversity Areas
NO NET LOSS & NET GAINKey issues for defining NNL/NG:
Time • When does the target need to be achieved?
Space • Is the target for a site or a landscape?
Baseline • What is the reference state for biodiversity: Past, present or future?
Metrics • What indicators will be used to measure success?
Stakeholder views
• Have stakeholders reviewed or approved assumptions, approaches & projected outcomes?
Transparency • Are assumptions, choices & data inputs clearly & openly documented?
BIODIVERSITY OFFSETSMeasurable conservation outcomes resulting from
actions designed to compensate for significant
residual impacts arising from project development and
persisting after appropriate avoidance, minimization, and
restoration measures have been taken.
Like-for-Like
Best available information
Best current practices
External offset experts
NNL reasonably expected
On-the-ground
Quantified losses & gains
Long term
IFC principles & requirements
Averted risk Restoration Positive conservation
INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIESAlien or non-native species introduced beyond original range.
Invasives spread quickly due to lack of controlling factors.
• No intentional introductions unless within regulatory framework
• Never deliberately introduce high risk alien invasives, regardless of regulation
• Risk assessment for any introductions• Implement measures to avoid
accidental/unintended introductions
Not established in country/region
• Avoid spreading to new areas• Eradicate from Natural Habitat under client
control, where practicable
Established in country/region
ECOSYSTEM SERVICESBenefits from ecosystems.
Focus on management control or significant influence.
Provisioning Regulating Cultural Supporting
Priority Type 2: Project dependence
• Minimize impacts• Increase resource efficiency• See also PS 3
Priority Type 1: Affected Community
dependence
• Stakeholder engagement process (PS1)• Avoid & minimize impacts• Maintain value & functionality• See also PS 4, 5, 7 & 8
LIVING NATURAL RESOURCESPrimary production of living natural resources
• Land-based agribusiness or forestry on already converted land• Manage sustainably via good practice and technology• Use relevant & credible standards where available• Pre-assess conformity with standards & take action to comply
Forestry Agriculture Animal husbandry Fisheries
Objective & achievableMulti-stakeholder consultative process
Encourage continual improvementIndependent verification/certification &
accredited bodies
Globally, regionally or nationally recognized Standards
Commit to good practice Support development of standardsStandards absent
SUPPLY CHAINSPurchasing primary production from regions with high risk of
conversion of Natural or Critical habitats
• Adopt system to evaluate primary suppliers
• Integrate into ESMS
• Determined by client management control & influence
Support ongoing review of primary supply chains
Limit procurement to low risk suppliers, e.g. certified under credible standards
Require actions to shift supply chain to low risk suppliers over time
Identify source of supply & habitat types
System should:
Key Deliverables for PS6 Compliance
ESIA
Field survey dates, duration, methods & expertise?
External experts with regional experience?
Desktop review of existing biodiversity assessments,
plans or data?
Location & extent of Natural vs Modified habitats, with
maps?
Alternatives Analysis?
Global, national & local biodiversity values?
Constraints map based on findings?
Significant residual impacts & need for offsets?
Location & extent of project area/AoI, with maps?
Regional context & proximity to biodiversity
values, with maps?
Process
Key outputs
Alien species?
Priority ecosystem services?Direct & indirect impacts?
Reference to core datasets?
• IUCN Red List• Protected Areas
• Key Biodiversity Areas Application of mitigation hierarchy?
To inform risk profile & applicability of specific IFC requirements. Integrates biodiversity assessment.
Spatial representation of results wherever relevant
ESIA
Source: ERM & Hatfield Indonesia, 2014
Natural vs Modified Habitat map using remote sensing &
targeted surveys
Source: WWF Borneo, 2011
Constraints map based on slope, riparian reserves, set asides & conservation areas
ESIAResources
CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT
Scope external review options & partnerships (if applicable)
Review existing data & consult experts
Collect field data & verify available information
Describe & map Discrete Management Unit (DMU)
Make Critical Habitat determination
To confirm if project area is critical habitat & full list of biodiversity values triggering critical habitat status.
Discrete Management Unit (DMU)
Project
AoI
Catchment
Describe & map Study Area
Process
CRITICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT
Species Rationale Sources/dataCH Trigger criteria
Example of Critical Habitat determination
Source: ERM, 2014
Source: The Biodiversity Consultancy, 2012
BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT PLAN
Adaptive management & responsive measures on regular basis?
ESIA requirements fully integrated?
Monitoring implementation of site-specific mitigation measures?
Implementable & auditable?
Actions & responsibilities?
To operationalize biodiversity-related management and monitoring as part of a broader Environmental and Social
Management Plan (ESMP).
Focus on site-specific mitigation measures?
BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLANRequired for IFC’s internal purposes to describe corrective
actions for fulfilling compliance with Performance Standard 6.
BAP can be defined differently by some stakeholders
Actions
Actions
Completion indicator
Completion indicator
Owner
Owner
Timeframe
TimeframeObjectiveor Goal
BAP Framework
Address corrective actions Demonstrate leading practicePurpose of BAPs
BIODIVERSITY STRATEGYTo describe broader strategy and highlight response towards
biodiversity issues for external stakeholders.
Optional. Recommended in high risk projects or projects with high stakeholder interest
Summary of project risk and impact management Additional conservation actions
Strategic links & contributions to external broader efforts
Formal project partnerships with biodiversity-related stakeholders
Biodiversity context & importance
Long-term biodiversitycommitment/vision
Record of consultation & review
BIODIVERSITY MONITORING & EVALUATION PLAN
Required to monitor habitats and species over life of project in Critical Habitats. Recommended in Natural Habitats.
In-field monitoring of high biodiversity
values
Monitoring implementation & effectiveness of
mitigation
Usually designed in consultation with & undertaken by third-parties with biodiversity monitoring experiences e.g. credible conservation
organization or university
Monitoring external threats to high
biodiversity values
Establish acceptable thresholds of variability for biodiversity values
Measurable results outside thresholds for set time periods indicate non-compliance
BIODIVERSITY OFFSET MANAGEMENT PLAN
To justify and describe implementation of a biodiversity offset.
Significant residual impacts?
Evidence of mitigation hierarchy?
Stakeholder responsibility & capacity?
Biodiversity metrics?
Regulatory context & political feasibility?
Offset sites, actions & dependencies?
Biodiversity loss & gain forecast & assumptions?
Long-term financing & governance?
Monitoring & evaluation?
Biodiversity baseline/counterfactual?
PS6 in Practice for a Mining Exploration Project
What Type of Habitat is this?
What Type of Habitat?What Type of Habitat is this?
What Type of Habitat is this?
FIRST THING TO DO
Characterize the area - Which ‘habitat’ is the project associated with? Modified, natural or critical – without this basis, we will not know which requirements apply
Need to maintain a ‘landscape perspective’ and not only focus on the concession area
The goal is to understand:is habitat truly degraded / modified?What are the important biodiversity features associated with the
area (and near the area)?
Note that important biodiversity features are often called biodiversity values - these will become the focus of mitigation
ACTIVITY 1: SCOPING AND REVIEW
Conduct a literature review of (i) available environmental studies, scientific literature, and biodiversity data for the area of each concession, (ii) Identify existing eco-regional plans (developed by the government and/or NGOs), NGO conservation initiatives in the areas and their surroundings, protected or recognized areas of importance to conservation, and biodiversity corridors
ACTIVITY 2: INTERVIEWS
Carry out interviews with government representatives and relevant conservation NGOs in the country to understand the regional context of each of the areas where the concessions are located and their importance in terms of biodiversity conservation.
Carry out interviews with company staff and consultants who were involved in the any previous biodiversity surveys in the areas to obtain an understanding of the biodiversity values of each concession and their surroundings (area of influence, if possible) and the extent of anthropogenic modification of the concessions and their surroundings.
ACTIVITY 3: HABITAT CHARACTERIZATION
Use satellite imagery and vegetation maps to 1) determine major habitat types and 2) map and calculate the area of modified and natural habitat within the project footprint and surrounding area.
If relevant, describe any watershed, interfluvial zone or other relevant defining landscape features in which the concessions are located.
If possible, provide comment on the uniqueness of each concession area with respect to larger landscapes (i.e., is it well-represented? This is an important topic that should be covered as part of the interviews with conservation organizations).
ACTIVITY 3: HABITAT CHARACTERIZATION
ACTIVITY 4: RAPID BIODIVERSITY SURVEY
Objective is to document the current status of the biodiversity and habitats within the concession area. This is essential to establish the conditions that would prevail in the absence of the project and to provide data for assessing risks and managing impacts during exploration.
The outcome of the biodiversity assessment should be a list of the major ‘biodiversity values’ associated with the study area and its surrounding landscape. These should serve as guiding criteria from which to help design the field surveys.
SCOPE OF RAPID BIODIVERSITY SURVEY
• Surveys within the major habitat types within the concession areas (how many days/nights of sampling in each habitat type?).
• Sampling of a range of taxonomic groups, including plants, large and small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and select insect groups (if appropriate).
• If there are significant freshwater resources within the concession, aquatic groups including fishes, benthos and aquatic insects should be surveyed.
• Contract qualified biodiversity experts who know the flora and fauna of the region to conduct the surveys.
• Follow international standards for sampling protocols (see Guidance for suggestions).
• An evaluation of the major habitat types and the extent of anthropogenic disturbance (degradation, invasive species, prior human activities) within the concession areas. If the sites are a mosaic, provide calculations of the extent of any remnant areas of potential conservation value.
ACTIVITY 5: BIODIVERSITY REPORT
• Overlay of the concession with established or proposed protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), Important Bird Areas (IBAs), Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZEs) Sites or habitat of Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened species.
• A map showing the regional context for each concession, including protected areas, corridors, location of each concession with respect to any ecoregionalplanning of governments/NGOs (this section will incorporate relevant findings from interviews conducted).
• Comment on broad habitat types with respect to the modified and natural habitat definition as defined in Performance Standard 6, including comment on the type and extent of anthropogenic activities.
• Scientific reports for each taxonomic group surveyed, including lists of species recorded and sampling details (location, dates, points length, methods, field workers, etc)
• Description of biodiversity values for each concession with respect to para. 16 of Performance Standard 6. Provide comment on any other biodiversity values of importance in each concession area, such as Critically Endangered or Endangered species, CITES species, endemic species, etc.
• Identification of any data gaps.
SOME OUTCOMES
SOME OUTCOMES
DETERMINATION OF CRITICAL HABITAT
• The data should be evaluated by a well-qualified person/consultant using PS6 criteria and the Guidance Note for PS6 (GN6) to determine if the area qualifies as Critical Habitat or Natural Habitat.
• Keep in mind that critical habitat is determined based on the biodiversity values inherent to an area and is irrespective of the impacts that the project may have on these values. If the area qualifies as Critical Habitat, the project will be required to demonstrate Net Positive Gain of the important biodiversity values identified. If the area is categorized as Natural Habitat, No Net Loss of Biodiversity (where feasible) is required.
• IFC primarily focuses on the following ‘criteria’ for determining Critical Habitat. The selection of a ‘priority’ list of high biodiversity values is often based on their regional (or global) vulnerability and irreplaceability. • IUCN (global) Critically Endangered (CR) or Endangered (E) species; • Endemic / restricted range species (are there any species endemic to
the area?); • Migratory and/or congregatory species with globally significant
concentrations; • Highly threatened (in the region) and/or regionally unique ecosystems.• Key evolutionary processes.
DETERMINATION OF CRITICAL HABITAT
ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATION
Assess Impacts
Conduct an assessment of potential impacts of the exploration activities on important biodiversity values (both species and habitats) identified through Activities 1-5.
Predict the impact magnitude for both direct and indirect impacts. Evaluate how the environmental status will change due to the project. Include calculations of how much forest will be cleared for exploration and evaluate the indirect impacts (e.g. in-migration or invasive species) that roads may bring.
Evaluate significance of the impacts on each key biodiversity value
ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONAssess Mitigation options
Apply the mitigation hierarchy as described in PS6 to avoid, minimize or remedy the impacts from exploration activities on sensitive biodiversity areas, focusing on avoidance as a first step (location of access roads, camp infrastructure, etc). If avoidance is not possible then minimizing and mitigating any impacts on-site (restoration, changing operations to have less impact, etc.).
Develop a set of mitigation measures that can be incorporated into the project Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
After mitigation is taken into account, determine the residual impact and its significance. Identify impacts that cannot be avoided or mitigated and thus will need to be offset.
As part of the subsequent ESIA and Feasibility Study process, the project should take into account the biodiversity values identified during the biodiversity assessment and incorporate these findings into future design work (Alternatives Analysis!).
OUTCOMES: MITIGATION ACTIONS VS VALUES
OUTCOMES: MITIGATION ACTIONS VS VALUES
BIODIVERSITY OFFSETS
Considered after appropriate avoidance, minimization, restoration (“Mitigation Hierarchy”) have been applied
Biodiversity offsets are only to be undertaken if significant residual impacts remain after all prior steps in the mitigation hierarchy have been fully assessed and implemented
WHAT QUALIFIES AS BIODIVERSITY OFFSETS
Can be many types of activities or “Measurable Conservation Outcomes”
Examples: Classic - creation of a new area or extending an
existing areaActivities in an existing area that are designed to
address existing threats (hunting, rangeland management) and increase biodiversity
The design of a biodiversity offset must adhere to the “like-for-like” principle
Must result in “measurable” outcome “on-the-ground”
WHAT QUALIFIES AS BIODIVERSITY OFFSETS
Offsets are designed using “loss / gain” methods - i.e., measuring the loss of biodiversity in one area versus the “biodiversity gains” in another area
Loss / gain methods should be as quantitative as possible and a technical rationale should be developed
Must be carried out in alignment with best available information and current practices
External experts with knowledge in offset design and implementation must be involved
Many thanks